Church of St Peter and St Paul, South Petherton
Encyclopedia
The Church of St Peter and St Paul in South Petherton
, Somerset
, England has Saxon
origins. It retains a 13th century crosswing, with the remainder of the buildings dating from the 15th century, however it underwent major restoration
s in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It has been designated as a grade I listed building.
until the dissolution of the monasteries
.
The tower is an irregular octagon on plan, wider on its east-west axis, which is believed to be the tallest octagonal church tower in the United Kingdom. It was erected in stages, the lower portion is from the 13th century with the upper stages added in the 15th.
(d. 1445/46), and his first wife Joan. The effigies were engraved in around 1430.
Also in the South Chapel is a Ham stone effigy of an earlier member of the Daubeney family dating from no later than 1300. The effigy is of a man clad in mail and was found at Pitway, South Petherton on 7 March 1929.
There is some stained glass
but much of it was destroyed during the English Civil War
.
South Petherton
South Petherton is a small country town and civil parish on the River Parrett in the South Somerset district of Somerset, England. It is east of Ilminster and north west of Crewkerne. It had a population of approximately 3,200 in 2002...
, Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
, England has Saxon
Anglo-Saxons
Anglo-Saxon is a term used by historians to designate the Germanic tribes who invaded and settled the south and east of Great Britain beginning in the early 5th century AD, and the period from their creation of the English nation to the Norman conquest. The Anglo-Saxon Era denotes the period of...
origins. It retains a 13th century crosswing, with the remainder of the buildings dating from the 15th century, however it underwent major restoration
Victorian restoration
Victorian restoration is the term commonly used to refer to the widespread and extensive refurbishment and rebuilding of Church of England churches and cathedrals that took place in England and Wales during the 19th-century reign of Queen Victoria...
s in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It has been designated as a grade I listed building.
History and architecture
In its early history the church was connected to Bruton AbbeyBruton Abbey
Bruton Abbey in Bruton, Somerset was originally founded as a Benedictine priory by Algar, Earl of Cornwall in about 1005. It was subsequently refounded as a house of Augustinian canons in 1135, by William de Mohun, who later became the Earl of Somerset. The village used the north aisle of the...
until the dissolution of the monasteries
Dissolution of the Monasteries
The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their...
.
The tower is an irregular octagon on plan, wider on its east-west axis, which is believed to be the tallest octagonal church tower in the United Kingdom. It was erected in stages, the lower portion is from the 13th century with the upper stages added in the 15th.
Interior
The church is home to several fine brass effigies. The effigies of Sir Giles DaubeneyGiles Daubeney, 6th Baron Daubeney
Sir Giles Daubeney was the 6th Baron Daubeney, an English knight, and a county sheriff. His effigy can be seen today in South Petherton, Somerset, England.-Life:...
(d. 1445/46), and his first wife Joan. The effigies were engraved in around 1430.
Also in the South Chapel is a Ham stone effigy of an earlier member of the Daubeney family dating from no later than 1300. The effigy is of a man clad in mail and was found at Pitway, South Petherton on 7 March 1929.
There is some stained glass
Stained glass
The term stained glass can refer to coloured glass as a material or to works produced from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant buildings...
but much of it was destroyed during the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
.